College hosts, helps with countywide SWAT training

Members of the Fairfield Police Department SWAT team enter the lobby of Solano Community College's theater while training at the school, Thursday. The training included SWAT teams from across Solano County practicing tactics for different scenarios. (Brad Zweerink/Daily Republic)

FAIRFIELD — Angie Dooley sat in a dark corner of the Solano Community College stage Thursday morning. One by one, with guns drawn, members of the Fairfield Police Department’s Special Weapons and Tactics team passed by.

“He went that way,” Dooley told each as she pointed to the back of the stage.

Dooley was one of several Solano College students taking part in the countywide SWAT team training at the college.

The event was hosted by the Solano County Office of Emergency Services. Training was done by personnel from Fulcrum Concepts of Yorktown, Va.

Jesse Horsley worked with the Fairfield SWAT team. The exercise: Secure the safety of theater patrons after an “incident” inside the theater.

“The first thing you do is clear the doorway,” Horsley told them. “Look for threats. Things that aren’t natural.”

The idea was to push the team out of its comfort zone.

Outside the theater, surrounded by yellow crime-scene tape, team members discussed strategy before getting the signal that it was time to enter.

When all team members were in place in the theater, Horsley stopped the exercise and shared some of his observations and how things could be done in a more safe and timely way.

“Let’s keep moving,” he said, telling the SWAT team to continue.

When they reached the back of the stage. Horsley had more thoughts and sent the group out front again.

“Today is all about repetition,” he had told the teams during a safety briefing.

The SWAT team made its second entrance into the theater.

“You guys are tight,” Horsley told them. “That’s great for speed. I’d like to see your heads up a little more.”

The drill simulated a school takeover, hostage and mass-casualty incident.

“This is the hardest room we will be in today,” Horsley told them before sending them out with the announcement that the building’s upstairs were now in play.

The Solano County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team, with members from the Suisun City and Dixon police departments, trained as well as Vacaville Police Department’s SWAT team and the Vallejo police SWAT team, which has members from the Benicia Police Department.

The goal was for the agencies to see their strengths and areas where they needed to improve, said Solano County Sheriff’s Deputy Daryl Snedeker.

“We want to make it real life,” he said.

Students such as Dooley, who lives in Fairfield, were recruited from criminal justice classes to play a variety of roles.

Vacaville residents Colby Campbell and Helen Woods both aspire to careers with the California Highway Patrol and jumped at the chance to role play.

“The more experience, the better,” Campbell said.

Law enforcement agencies weren’t the only ones getting training. The staff at the Kroc Center in Suisun City has its disaster training on site, inside the Emergency Canteen mobile food truck. Lunch for 200 was to be cooked at the Kroc Center and brought to the canteen.

“We want to keep our emergency service providers well fed,” said Capt. Jonathan Harvey of the Salvation Army.

“You can’t be prepared enough,” Jowel Laguerre, the college’s president and superintendent. “We want to be as ready as we can in case an emergency happens.”

Laguerre said he was pleased the college could work with the agencies that serve as the college’s first responders.

Reach Amy Maginnis-Honey at 427-6957 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/amaginnisdr.

swat train, 8/22/13

swat train, 8/22/13

swat train, 8/22/13

swat train, 8/22/13

swat train, 8/22/13

Amy Maginnis-Honey

Amy Maginnis-Honey joined the staff of the Daily Republic in 1980. She’ll tell you she was only 3 at the time.
Over the past three decades she’s done a variety of jobs in the newsroom.
Today, she covers arts and entertainment and writes for the Living and news pages.

Rich GiddensAugust 23, 2013 - 1:31 pm

truth be toldAugust 23, 2013 - 5:12 pm

I think that the Solano County SO is a joke. It is obvious that the board at scc along with the president have entered into an agreement that befitted their hidden agenda. I been on the campus three days a week since the semester started and yet to see one Officer or Deputy patrolling. The traffic in the lots is out of control, the students are acting out in building 100 and no cops. I saw this exercise they conducted and they were tactically inept, so much that I have seen academy cadets doing a better job. This exercise was nothing more than a circus! A big show off show to look more official than they really are! The Solano County GOOD OL BOYS network A.K.A. Solano County Sheriff’s Office is using SCC as another storage yard to deposit there surplus junk! Take a bow SCC board and President Laguiree or however your name is spelled ( I really don’t care), you along with Ligioso have managed to finish destroying the SCC PD. It was bad enough you allowed a spineless coward for a Chief to run what use to be a good department into the ground but now you guys put the topper on it and finished it off. I told you before the county S.O. Does not care about SCC they never have nor will they ever. People better wake up this organization is planning to take over Dixon, Suisun then Rio Vista. They are like a cancer muscling their way through putting officers out of jobs! Real Police Officers that do real Police work not deputies that play tidily winks at the court house then meet up on the tax payers dime as an entire shift sitting at Mel’s n Vacaville for social hour.

DebAugust 23, 2013 - 7:58 pm

Wow, some people sure talk alot &%$#, Sheriff Deputy's and Fairfield P.D. have hard jobs dealing with people and all their stupid crap, I don't care what you saw, In the field they are doing a damn good job! AND nobody is perfect!!

truth be toldAugust 23, 2013 - 9:16 pm

Hey Deb you talk a lot of crap! Look just because you have some vested interested in the Square Field Police or the Solano County GOOD Ol Boys network A.K.A. Solano County Sheriffs Office doesn't make them a good agency. In fact Square Field couldn't solve a crime if the perpetrator turned himself in and handed them a video tape showing themselves committing the crime. As for the S.O. like I said they are too busy socializing on duty on tax payer money or coming home to there house several times per shift in their patrol car, in uniform! Running by there business they own in town and hanging out with the wife! Ya real outstanding group of Law Enforcement!